Remembrance Day Reunion
by crimebuff
Summary: An original one shot - Sarah never expected to fall in love with a soldier, but she did. Hunter was good and kind, not to mention handsome - he was also being deployed. How could their love survive, especially after he goes missing in action?


**Remembrance Day Reunion**

Feeling tears run down her cheeks unchecked, she struggled to maintain her composure as she approached the cenotaph. The wreath seemed as though it weighed a hundred pounds, as if her grief had manifested into a physical being. The only reason she was still moving forward was Lucy beside her. The widow of four years had laid the wreath since her husband had been killed in action. Ever since Sarah had been told, Lucy had been an amazing support. As she walked shakily onward, she thought back to the events that brought her here.

Six months earlier…

Sarah had met Hunter Thompson a month ago when he and a couple of his army friends had come to a dance at the swing dance club she frequented. In full army dress, they has caused quite the commotion. Sarah had been helping with the beginner lesson and they had hit it off. They had spent the entire evening talking, and trying to dance, though it wasn't Hunter's forte. For nearly every day of the next month, they saw each other, or at least talked on the phone. Neither had expected this relationship, but it had snuck up on them and both were seriously invested.

On their one month anniversary, Sarah was anxiously waiting at home for Hunter to pick her up. Rubbing her palms, she smoothed her dress again, and checked her hair. When the doorbell rang, she suppressed a squeal and pulled the door open.

Hunter stood there with a bouquet of daisies and looked at her adoringly. "Wow…, just wow."

Sarah blushed, "you look pretty good yourself soldier." He smiled, but Sarah could tell that it didn't quite reach his eyes. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in to the apartment. "What's wrong Hunter?"

"Can we talk before we go?" he locked at her so seriously that Sarah was becoming increasingly concerned.

"Of course. Grab a seat on the couch and I'll just put these in water." Taking the flowers from his hands, she gave him a gentle nudge to the couch. Filling the vase with water, Sarah noticed her hands were shaking slightly. Taking a deep breath, she headed back into the living room and put the flowers on the table. Sitting beside Hunter she was relieved when he lifted his arm for her to snuggle into his side. Reaching for her other hand, he interlocked their fingers.

Sarah waited silently for Hunter to speak. After a few minutes, he buried his face in her hair and said, "I'm being deployed again."

Sarah felt the air rush from her lungs and couldn't speak for a full minute. When her voice finally returned, she asked, "when?"

"Two weeks." Sarah let out a choked gasp and struggled not to cry. "I didn't think it would be this soon. Sarah, I am so sorry."

She twisted around to look at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I never wanted to leave someone behind when I got deployed. But then you happened and I just kind of forgot. I couldn't stay away."

"No, you stop that," Sarah ordered him. "I would never have traded what we have because there was a chance of you leaving. How long is your deployment, a year?" At Hunter's nod, she continued, "well in a year, you'll be back and I'll be here waiting. And while you're gone, we'll talk as often as we can and email. We will figure this out."

"God I love you." Sarah stared at him shocked. "I know that was not the most romantic way to tell you. I actually had it all planned out to go for a romantic walk in the park tonight and tell you then, but…"

Sarah kissed him hard and pulled back giggling. "I love you too. I've wanted to tell you for a little while, but I thought it was too soon…"

This time Hunter kissed her, threading his hands through her hair and holding her close. After a few moments of trading kisses, Hunter pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes. "I think I have been in love with you from almost the first night we met, but I didn't want to freak you out." Sarah smiled and pressed another kiss to his lips and then settled by his side, surrounded by his warmth.

They sat quietly, just happy with each other when Hunter shot to his feet and exclaimed, "marry me."

"What!" Sarah looked at him like he was crazy.

"I know it sounds insane. But when I'm gone, I want to know you're taken care of and that you have the support that military spouses can get. And if something were to happen, God forbid, you would be informed, instead of hearing second hand."

"I…I," Sarah could only stammer and look up at him in shock.

Kneeling in front of her and grabbing her hands, he looked into her eyes. "This isn't what I imagined. I pictured all of our friends and family around, you walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, all of it. I want you to have that, but selfishly I want to go with you as my wife. If you want the same thing."

Silence permeated the air as Sarah regarded him. It felt like hours to Hunter and he was ready to take it back, knowing that it was crazy to ask her this, when she finally spoke. "Yes." He looked like he didn't believe her, so she repeated, "yes, I will marry you Hunter."

Picking her up, he spun them around the room, alternating between kissing and laughing with joy. Setting her down, he held her hands and asked seriously, "are you sure?"

"Yes. We can do the traditional white wedding when you get back. And I want you to be my husband while you're away. It just seems so much more than boyfriend or even fiancé. One thing though, I need you to be okay with me not telling my friends and family right away. I don't want them telling me I'm crazy when they don't understand us." Looking at him pleadingly, "just let me tell them in my own time."

"Of course." Hunter grinned at her, "we're getting married."

Three days later, they were married at City Hall with some army buddies and their wives as witnesses. Hunter wore his dress uniform and Sarah wore a tea length white dress. The only reception they had was having a quick drink at a nearby bar before holing up in Sarah's apartment for the two days they had both been able to get off. They continually bumped into each other in the small space, trying to learn each other's routines. They didn't care though. Despite only knowing one another for just over a month, they felt so connected.

Finally the day of Hunter's deployment arrived. He woke before Sarah and watched her sleep, trying to imprint the vision of her in his mind, the feel of her in his arms. At the sound of the alarm, she started to stir and burrowed further into his arms.

"No, no, no. It can't be morning already." Sarah placed her hand on his chest feeling his heart beat. "Promise me something," she whispered. "Do your best to come back to me."

Kissing the top of her head, he murmured, "I will do everything in my power to come home to you."

They stayed in bed as long as possible before getting up and facing the day. Lingering wherever they could, it was eventually time to head to the base. Joining the other families saying goodbye, Sarah hugged Hunter hard wiping away the tears that escaped. Pulling back, she wiped the tears on Hunter's face and gave him a watery smile.

"You go and do good," she choked out, "then come home."

"How did I get so lucky to find you." Gently running his fingers across the contours of her face, he drew her into a loving kiss. It quickly escalated, fueled by their desperation and impending separation. Finally the need for oxygen broke them apart and Hunter hugged her close. "I love you so much Sarah."

"I love you Hunter."

Reluctantly he released her and pressed one last kiss to her lips. "I'll see you soon."

Sarah waved for as long as she could see him and then let the tears fall. Immediately she was wrapped in hugs from the women who had been at her wedding, all of whom were also crying. They comforted each other for a few minutes before heading back to the rest of their lives. Sarah headed home with many new numbers programmed into her phone and a lunch date for later that week.

She made it home with no incident, but as she entered her all too quiet apartment, the gravity of her actions in the last month hit her. Struggling to breath, she put on one of the t-shirts Hunter left behind, crawled into his side of the bed and wept.

The first four and a half months of Hunter's deployment passed relatively uneventfully. Sarah often visited with the other military wives; it was a welcome relief to be around people who knew Hunter and about their marriage. She knew that she should have told her family and other friends, but the moment had never seemed right. They knew that Sarah and Hunter were together and that Hunter had been deployed, but she didn't talk about their marriage. She knew she had to soon, it wasn't fair to anyone, but she was worried at how they would respond.

However, the arrival of a cool Tuesday morning in October changed everything. As Sarah prepared for work, she was startled by a knock on her front door. In the years she had been in her home, she could count the number of times someone knocked on her door at that time of day on one hand. An unsettled feeling grew in her stomach as she approached the door, hands shaking as she turned the knob.

The two soldiers in full dress uniform sent Sarah to her knees, before they'd even spoken a word. Kneeling beside her, one spoke, "Mrs. Thompson, we regret to inform you that your husband is missing in action."

Her eyes flashed up, "he's not dead?" The soldier began speaking again, but Sarah could barely hear over the rushing in her ears. In her mind, she just kept repeating _not dead, not dead_.

The rest of the day passed incoherently with her curled up in bed. The soldiers had left her with some information on who to call to find out more, but she couldn't bring herself to call yet. It wasn't until dinner that she roused herself enough to answer the door, after hearing Caroline, one of her friends from the base, calling her name. Opening the door, Sarah was enveloped in a loving hug.

"I just heard about Hunter." Holding her close, Caroline let Sarah's tears dampen her shirt. "We're all here for you sweetie." And they were.

Over the next month, all of the army wives supported her – made sure she ate, went to work, went with her when she told her friends and family that Hunter was missing. She even started attending grief counselling meetings with other spouses who had lost someone, which is where she met Lucy. The now single mom was so strong and supportive that when she asked Sarah to carry the wreath with her at the Remembrance Day ceremony, Sarah couldn't say no.

Which is how Sarah ended up in front of thousands of people, hands shaking and tears running down her cheeks. Much of the ceremony was a blur to her until they had introduced her and shown a picture of Hunter on the big screens. It had taken all she had to stand and move forward.

After placing the wreath in front of the cenotaph, Lucy linked their arms and they bowed their heads.

Sarah closed her eyes and pictured Hunter, at their wedding, at home, on their first date. She tried to remember the joy of being with him, letting it soothe the pain that was ever present. Suddenly she heard the crowd start to murmur, getting louder, but she kept her eyes closed trying to hold on to the memories. However when Lucy turned to look and gasped, Sarah had no choice but to look.

Hunter stood there.

Sarah could feel her head spin and heart race as her vision narrowed to him alone. He was in fatigues with a crutch under his left arm. Despite the fact that he was standing only 10 m away, Sarah couldn't let herself truly believe he was there, not until he was in her arms. However when he took a step towards her, she couldn't help but step back, terrified that he wasn't really there, that if it was just a dream her heart couldn't handle the pain.

Steeling herself, she resisted moving as Hunter took another step then another until he was only a foot away. Sarah could feel the tears tracking down her cheeks as her eyes scanned over him, taking note of the various injuries and the exhaustion on his face. But all of that was overshadowed by the love shining in his eyes. She could tell he wanted to reach for her but was letting her accustom herself to the fact that he was here. Shaking, Sarah reached out and placed her hand on his chest.

As soon as she felt his heart beating, it hit her that he was real and she collapsed with a sob. Thanks to Hunter's reflexes, he caught her and lowered them both to the ground. Sarah wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent.

Hunter was crying now too, the feel of Sarah in his arms after six months too much to handle. He couldn't imagine what she'd gone through in the last month, never knowing if he was alive. The memory of Sarah was the only thing that kept him alive while he'd been captured and imprisoned.

Sarah pulled back slightly so she could look at him. She smoothed her fingers over his face and neck, whispering, "you're home, I can't believe you're home."

Hunter tucked her loose hair behind her ears and pulled her in for a kiss, desperate to feel her lips against his again. "I love you," he murmured against her lips, tasting the salt of her tears.

Eventually clapping and cheering broke through their haze and they looked at the audience. They were on their feet, going crazy with many of them crying. Hunter and Sarah looked at each other and couldn't help laughing a bit through their tears, as they hugged again.

"I'm home love," Hunter whispered. "I am never leaving you again." Sarah smiled and hugged him tighter. It wouldn't be easy dealing with the aftermath of whatever Hunter went through, but they were together again and together they could handle anything.

"I love you Hunter."


End file.
